Seeking Destiny
by squallwis04
Summary: Blackrose suddenly asks Kite to go on a CCCorp event. Kite has no idea what it is, but agrees anyway. What waits in store for both partners? KiteBlackrose. Please R&R. COMPLETE!
1. Demand

**_DISCLAIMER_**: dothack, all characters, places, names, etc. are copyright of Bandai Entertainment. They are by no means mine! So don't sue! This plot, however, is my own, spawn of my unbridled, albeit quite unimaginative, imagination. Any resemblance of any name to any person, living or otherwise, is purely coincidental.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES aka RANDOM RAMBLING**:

Fic started: November 13, 2005 (after coming home from a party...time's 00:20 as I type this)

Ah well...I'm doing this the same time I'm trying to write my Galaxy Angel fic. Haha...I dunno. Inspiration just struck and I got some ideas in my head.

This isn't going to be as long as most of my other fics...probably less than 10 chapters or so. I enjoy a bit of not-too-mindless, Kite/Blackrose in my spare time (or when I'm too lazy to do work). This story takes place circa Part 3: Outbreak, though details may not be accurate as per the game itself. And also please forgive some OOC-ness and cheesiness...yum.

Many thanks to all the dothack writers out there, especially those who support the cutest pairing in the entire "The World" (mentioned above)! And thanks to you, dear reader...yeah, you, for reading this. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Oh yeah, please review, if possible. I mean constructive criticism and non-degrading, non-mortifying comments, that is. Well, if you just HATE the fic, then don't continue reading! It's that simple! You don't have to blab about 'how the story sucks' or something. Well, you can write flames, but you'd just be wasting your time and effort, you can be sure of that. So please. If you don't like this, then just go and write something you do like . Everyone has the potential to come up with a great story.

Oh well. That takes care of my A/N protocol. Enjoy!

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"Seeking Destiny"

dothack

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CHAPTER 1

Demand

'Kite! Hurry ove to the bridge at Mac Anu ASAP! Impotant!'

_'Either she's in a real hurry or the 'r' on her keyboard isn't working all that well,'_ Kite thought with a slight chuckle as he made his way from the Mac Anu Chaos Gate. In any case, Blackrose's e-mail seemed urgent enough to get its recipient started immediately once he had logged-in to "The World".

Still, he wondered just what could have been so urgent...

He spotted her at the bridge, just where she said she would be waiting. Her gaze was cast at the river that flowed underneath. _'She looks somewhat...I couldn't place the emotion, was it uncertainty...?'_ Kite wondered as he neared.

Just then she looked up and saw his approach. The expression on her face was quickly replaced by one that was clearly irritation. "What's the meaning of showing up late!" She yelled, as if their meeting was a scheduled one. "I've been here for half an hour already!"

_'What's her problem...?'_ Kite mumbled in his head, but said openly, "Uh, sorry about that...it's just that I just logged in right now. So...what's so important? Find out anything about those bug activities?" The task of investigating a recent alarming string of data bugs had been delegated to Wiseman and Balmung, who still haven't given any word.

The questions seemed to infuriate the Heavy Blade even more. "Do you think I called you about that!" She roared, and then all too suddenly calmed down just a bit. She harrumphed, cocking her head to one side, and murmured, "You're really dense sometimes, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

"Anyway," she blurted out, ignoring his reaction. "You know the recent event by the CC Corp, the one where there's a really rare item in the Gott statue of a hidden dungeon somewhere?"

Kite blinked. He had been too preoccupied as of late with fighting animate viruses, accessing restricted areas and tagging unsuspecting goblins to really bother with such trivialities. It came to him as more of a surprise that CC Corp was even holding an event like this, what with all the problems they must have been having lately concerning certain hackers and consequent faults in the system. Maybe it was just to cover-up the crises and to keep the masses distracted.

Still, Blackrose seemed genuinely interested in it, so he decided that it wasn't going to be a total waste of time, especially if it was something they could make use of in their quest...besides, he was with Blackrose, so it definitely was worth it to go wherever that place was.

_'What am I thinking...?'_ Kite mused, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He had a certain strange feeling lingering about whenever he was with his trusted partner, but always pushed the notion aside due to more pressing matters at hand; in other words, he didn't give it too much thought. Recently, though, those thoughts made their presence more felt, much more than any time prior, and he was doing the best he could to still act casual; curiosity was not one of his more dominant characteristics when it came to the particular subject.

Before he could answer, however, she caught sight of his initial reaction and realized that he didn't have any idea as to what she was referring to.

"I'd take that as a no, huh?" she sighed, but then began to explain, becoming increasingly excited as she went on. "Well, that's exactly what it is, though there are a few conditions, according to what I've researched. First, only parties with two characters will be allowed into the dungeon. Second, even though it is somewhere in the Delta server, the enemies are really strong. Third, no reviving items or spells can be used while there. Makes it kinda harder, huh? And lastly, the...uh..." She stopped suddenly, as if hesitant to continue.

"Lastly...?" Kite urged.

"I-it's nothing...really; nothing more. Haha..." she stammered, quickly waving her hands in front of her. _'Very un-Blackrose-like...'_ Kite thought, but shrugged it off. He found it cute, though.

But still, he assented. "Okay, let's go there if you want to," Kite grinned. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready, okay?"

He had turned and started towards the elf's haven storage, and, as consequence, didn't see the grateful and genuinely happy smile Blackrose wore on her face.

--------------------

"So, where is this dungeon?" Kite asked. Both he and Blackrose were standing at the Chaos Gate of the root town, having readied their gear and items.

"It's in 'Buried Corrupted Paradise'...cleverly hidden too. Only those meeting the criteria and know the password would be able to access the right place. Otherwise, it's just an ordinary level fourteen darkness field," she answered. Nodding, Kite selected the keywords and the Chaos Gate began to glow.

"Password?" the twin blade asked. His voice was accompanied by a mechanical one, which said the exact same word and made him almost jump in surprise.

Blackrose cracked a smile. "Seeking destiny's fulfillment," she stated confidently.

Only a second passed before the voice answered, "Correct. Fare well on the challenges ahead."

"Cool," Kite uttered, figuring that his companion had done quite some research about this quest beforehand. "Well then, you ready...partner?" he asked as the golden rings that brought characters to different parts of The World began forming around them.

Blackrose still wore a smile on her lips yet an unreadable expression in her eyes. She spoke with certainty, "Yeah...partner."


	2. Observe

**A/N: **Well, here's the next chapter. Though it was finished about a few weeks (sheesh) earlier, now's the earliest I could've gotten it up. Oh well...darn connection problems. Shout outs!

**Beowulf31486** – Many, many thanks for the first review:-) I thought the intro wasn't really all that...long. I'm glad you think it's a good starting point. Pardon the rather delayed update... :-)

**mitsukai-otome** – I've read "Land of Twilight" to the second chapter...and you say that I have Blackrose acting weird? Haha... :-) nice story you have. Thanks, and I will continue the (good) work. :-)

**Aura Eko** – I think so too (or at least I hope so) that this'll be a great story. :-) Haha...it's just that I'm busy and my PC's uncooperative at times and I can't update all that often or at once. :-) Thanks for the review!

**Swordust **– I'm really sorry for the late update! >. This was as ASAP as possible...hehe. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. I'm glad you find the story interesting...

That's it for now. Hopefully future updates wouldn't take very long...hopefully.

Anyways, enjoy:-)

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CHAPTER 2

Observe

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Both Kite and Blackrose looked in amazement around them. The environment they had been brought to was unlike any that they had been to ever before.

"What is this place...?" Kite said, wonder momentarily overwhelming his common sense.

Virtual winds blew the computer-generated blades of emerald-colored grass at the feet of both adventurers, as well as the fluffy white clouds set against a faint-blue sky. In the distance loomed a lone mountain capped with ashen fog.

But what really caught their attention was the immense field of flowers they were standing in the middle of. Shaded in all colors, the blooms stood out from the grass so strikingly that even the blind might have been able to appreciate them. Blossoms of pink, yellow, blue, magenta, and countless other variations sprang out, giving the beholder a marvelously striking image, yet producing a strangely calming aura at the same time.

"Beautiful..." Blackrose whispered, just as mystified as Kite. She bent down to pick one, a pink carnation, and view it closely.

"Yeah. It's amazing what virtual reality can do...these flowers seem so real," her partner answered, drawing a hand across, making some of them sway gracefully with the motion. _'I'm sure Gardenia would love to see this,'_ he thought offhandedly, not at all aware that he had actually said the particular notion out loud.

The comment piqued his companion a little, though Kite was unable to notice the sudden, angry glare from her. He asked, still looking at the sky, "So anyway...what do we do now?"

"We find the dungeon, I guess." Blackrose replied, sighing, seemingly brushing the matter off. "Hey, you got a fairy orb? I guess now would be a good time to use one," she added rather irately. Judging from her behavior, Kite was almost sure he had done something that offended her, but he wasn't really sure. Regardless, he ended up using one fairy orb out of his stash of twenty.

Surprisingly, there was only one portal in the whole field, found on the farthest side of the map from where they were. The dungeon's entrance was nearby, and no spring was present. There was, however, a huge, peculiar structure near the portal; Kite had no idea what it was exactly.

"Hmm...this is a really odd map," Blackrose remarked.

Kite shrugged. "Well, this is an event..."

"I know that," she snapped, though not as harshly as usual.

_'Geez._ _What got into her...?'_ Kite thought as they both moved towards the dungeon entrance.

Not long after, they were at the entrance to what looked like an underground graveyard. A thick, steel gate barred the passageway. On the center of the gate were engraved the words "Sagreado Maharl" in old cursive.

Kite's first reaction was to think _'What kind of joke is this...?' _The text, whatever it read, didn't match its canvas and the overall feel of the particular place so much that he had to raise an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Blackrose, however, didn't seem to really mind. "Okay...we're here. Now where's that..."

Her sentence was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a human-like creature, which seemed to materialize sitting atop a huge slab of broken concrete to their right. The creature didn't look like a player, or at least an ordinary one. Roughly only half the height of Heavy Blade now present, its appearance was so much different from those available for the denizens of "The World". A black tattered frock coat hung slackly from rounded shoulders; baggy trousers of the same color were tied tightly at the waist by a thick rope and its face was obscured by a long hood.

It spoke with a surprisingly deep voice, given its small stature. "Ah, you must be the next pair who will try and obtain the treasure within the Maharl dungeon."

Blackrose looked first at Kite, motioning 'let me handle this', and then at the figure. "And you are the furtive sentry, right?"

It nodded. "That would be correct, Lady Blackrose. My name is Locke. Why that is, don't ask...it isn't important anyway. In particular, I keep watch at the gates of the Maharl dungeon and let nobody in until certain conditions are met...not that it would be that hard considering only two players are allowed in this event, and therefore in this field, at any given time."

_'Some furtive sentry this is...'_ Kite thought.

"Cheeky program..." the heavy blade whispered to her companion, causing him to snicker a bit.

"I'll pretend I didn't read that..." Locke said offhandedly, "You see, I'm actually a player-admin only filling in for the sentry AI. There was a huge bug in the program; kept players with 'A', 'E' or 'O' in their names looking for something that wasn't really here; basically, the door wouldn't open no matter what in those cases. Our Chief's working on debugging the program, but the job's taking ages."

Both adventurers blinked. "And you're telling us this because...?"

"I'm bored, actually. Most others aren't even able to get the required items to open this gate," Locke replied, shrugging. "They really should make these events more user-friendly. Though my chara design's cool, wouldn't you say?"

Blackrose rolled her eyes. "Just tell us what we need to do already."

"Oh, yes. I completely forgot...sorry, sorry. Now..." the sentry said, getting back as much in-character as he could, "you will need, first of all, to clear the portal on the field and defeat all the monsters. A chest will appear containing a gold ingot; take it. Secondly, you will need to enter the tower in that area as well, and retrieve the scroll of All Skill at the top, while fighting monsters along the way. From there, there will be a bridge suspended over the volcano. On the other side of it awaits Mekaniism, the guardian of the final item you should get, the Orb of Pure Light. After all that, make your way back here; I shall be waiting...if you are still alive, that is. Oh, and absolutely no reviving items or spells; only HP and status restoring ones allowed."

Blackrose looked undaunted; in fact, it seemed like she was more hyper than before. "Ha! That's it? I'd think it'd be a little harder than just that. Come on, Kite! Let's get on with this!"

As she trudged off, Kite thought, _'Well, at least she's got her spirits back...'_

"Hey, buddy," Locke called out to Kite, "it was her idea to come here, am I right?"

Kite nodded, at the same time inquiring, "Why do you ask?"

The sentry just smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing. You'd better go, or else she'll get mad again..."

Just then, Blackrose shouted from atop a hill, "Come on Kite! Don't just stand around there like an idiot!"

"...y'see?"

Kite nodded again, and started after the Heavy Blade, who had her arms on her hips.

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"This side of the map looks really different..."

The pair had walked a considerable distance already. Having climbed another land elevation, they had a good view of the valley below.

The other side sloped considerably, but the most prominent feature was the ground; the grass was abundant where they stood, and then gradually thinned until about halfway to the bottom, exposing the brown soil underneath. The base, instead of loam, was a mixture of gravel and soot.

Not too far ahead stood a tall structure, probably the one they were supposed to ascend. Kite swallowed as he noticed how high the tower actually was; it was virtually a mini-skyscraper, and perhaps would have been more aptly called such, if not for its overall cylindrical shape, the eerie thorny projections from the sides, and snaking vines growing all over.

Even further beyond loomed the volcano, which they had mistakenly perceived as merely a mountain earlier. It wasn't as tall as the tower, but it made up for in width what it lacked in height; the concrete bridge that stretched across it was almost the same distance as the tower's tip from the ground.

Another building stood at the other side, which, although it was as tall as the one opposite, didn't seem as peculiar. It was more like a fortress, with tattered flags and battlements: the resting place of the Orb of Pure Light.

_'It doesn't look like it's going to be as easy as we thought at first...'_ Kite thought, swallowing. Also Blackrose seemed to lose a bit of her former confidence.

Directly in front of them, the field portal glowed ominously. Although it effectively illuminated the area, the light was more foreboding than comforting.

As Blackrose took out Mimiru's Sword, Kite unsheathed his Two Together. Exchanging knowing looks, both of them trekked forward as the portal glowed even brighter before finally opening...


	3. Traverse

A/N: Chapter finished March 24, 2006. Hehe...it's been such a LONG TIME! Oh my...and now it's almost the "ber" months. Many, many apologies for keeping you all waiting...it's just that I've been UBER-BUSY since, well...for the longest time. Plus the net's been on and off again. Been planning to have this up since April/May, but...there. I'm a bit "free-er" now, hence the update. Anyways...shout outs! 

> **.hacker Aeroa** - Thanks lots for reviewing all the same, even on the second chap! Here's the next update...  
> **Yuriel367 - **Well, that'll be cleared up in thecoming chapters, of course...I think...maybe...  
> **elnrith** - Wow thanks! I'll try to update sooner then. Tho the every chapter review isn't really mandatory...  
> **Cerberus **- Here's the update! Thanks for the review!  
> **General Cloud** - I hope you don't mind waiting too long in case updates don't come very soon... thanks for the review!  
> **Paola-chan** - I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Here's the next chap...  
> **ShadowsXareXallXIXhave** - long name. Anyways, I'm glad you think the story's interesting...and hope you enjoy the next chapters!

Man...I shouldn't let reviews pile up like that... And without further ado, here's the next chap. Hopefully the next one won't take as long to write / post.

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CHAPTER 3

Traverse  
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As the field portal faded to nothingness, out of the surrounding gravel appeared five gargantuan monsters more than twice the size of Kite. Lumbering masses of stone they appeared to be, much like golems, with fists that seemed even larger in proportion.

And yet the Twin Blade showed no sign of fear as he charged at his enemies.

Taking a few seconds to quickly change his blades to the Fishskin and then summon Merrows as a preemptive elemental-critical strike, severely damaging two of the foes in the process, he then cast Rig Saem on Blackrose and Ap Do on himself before finally sprinting forward; Blackrose rushed straight ahead in attack. It was an effective tactic, which was being used with much success by them for sometime now.

Once again, combined with exceptional teamwork from the two, it was proving its efficacy. Not a minute since the start of the fight, only two of the behemoths were left standing, though even that was easily remedied by another summon from Kite.

Blackrose scoffed. "Was that a little too easy, or are the other players who come here just either dumb or really underpowered?"

"Must be..." Kite replied, referring to his partner's latter words. Based on what Locke had mentioned earlier about most players not being able to return, he had expected the monsters to pose more of a challenge, even for them. So far, their standard tactics worked just fine; perhaps there was more ahead, he guessed.

A sparkling gold chest appeared shortly after, signifying that they had indeed defeated all enemies necessary to obtain the first item. Having opened it carefully, Kite took out a shining block of gold.

"That's definitely got to be the ingot," Blackrose said excitedly, starting for the tower. "And now for the rest. This should be a piece of cake!"

Having put the gold bar safely away, Kite followed her up the first set of stone steps.

_'That was really odd,'_ he thought, _'those were high-level monsters all right, but they hardly put up a fight...oh well, maybe our strategy was just that effective...'_

They were at the bottom floor. Looking up, Blackrose took a sharp intake of air at what they both saw: about a hundred or so – too many to count – of the same monsters they had just defeated roamed the one massive black, stone staircase that spiraled around the structure's only, colossal room. It didn't help that enemy bats also circled the air above.

"This has got to be a joke..." she uttered.

Kite shuddered in silent agreement. Taking down five of the brutes had been an easy matter, but even his partner knew that this was something different altogether. His former confidence faltered, and he figured he could tell what it was that stopped all the previous players from getting very far into just this simple treasure hunt...

Clearing his head, he shook himself to new resolve. _'This isn't the time to just stand here...'_ he reprimanded himself as he noticed one of the enemies finally notice their presence and let out a long howl.

Quickly, Kite cast Ap Do first on Blackrose and then on himself.

"Let's just go!" he shouted as he began sprinting up the stairs. Though he was almost always the one to stick with reason and logic, as well as more conservative, thought-out and well-formulated plans, this was one time when spontaneity and quick judgment were more called for.

Although a bit hesitant, Blackrose soon understood his unspoken plan, and dashed after him. They would just barrel their way through – a crude and dangerous plan, yet it seemed the more sensible choice in contrast to standing ground and battling every single opponent; it would save a lot of time, stamina and healing items. They still had two other quest items to retrieve and the dungeon to deal with afterwards.

Being the faster character, Kite led the way for most of the climb. Instead of slashing at the oncoming monsters, he shoved them off the edge to the hard floor below. It wasn't a particularly difficult strategy; they progressed even quicker when Blackrose was able to catch up and run alongside him, though there was the problem of some of the enemies running after them after having gotten back up.

"Won't they be a problem...?" Blackrose asked between labored breaths, momentarily looking back down the stairs. They were just little more that halfway to the top.

"..." Kite didn't give a verbal reply. Luckily, Blackrose didn't see the 'I'm still working on that part' look on his face. Already, he was feeling a little worn out, and there was still some ways to go before they would reach the top. The slight distraction from the task at hand gave him time to think, though.

_'They just don't give up, do they?'_ he thought irritably, taking a glance back himself. While those that fell from the more elevated heights still remained motionless on the ground, broken to pieces, those that had been shoved off from the earlier steps were now trailing them; and there was a considerable number. Kite calculated that it might take a while until they might catch up; speed wasn't one of their advantages.

He then looked up. There wasn't any door or barricade of any sort that might prevent the monsters from reaching the top.

Still, he decided to stick with the plan. _'Let's just try and make this quick...'_

The pair continued further up, to the point that it was dizzyingly high. There were less of the monsters as they ascended, and Kite was feeling more and more hopeful, albeit more and more tired as well.

"Y'know...what?" Blackrose said, panting for air, "Sometimes...this level...of realism...sucks..."

Kite nodded in silent agreement, too busy pushing another golem out of the way to voice a reply. He had to put more effort in shoving them out of the way; he was starting to really feel the fatigue setting upon him.

He chanced another look back. _'Is it just me, or are those golems getting faster?'_ He thought. For a moment, their pursuers seemed to be moving more quickly than before. It was a little hard to ascertain, as they were well behind...or below, rather...the twosome.

Kite simply shook his head and continued running. _'It couldn't be...must be my imagination...'_

Less than thirty steps and four golems now separated them from the tower's summit. "We're almost there..." Kite uttered.

"Then let's get this over with!" Blackrose shouted and took off ahead. Kite could only watch his partner run up to each of the golems in succession and simply bash them over the edge with little trepidation and a strength he assumed she had exhausted earlier.

"Wow...and I thought...you were tired already..." be panted as he caught up with her at the top.

"I...yeah..." her answer was distracted; she was staring fixedly at something further on. Kite's eyes grew wide in wonder when his gaze followed hers.

A lone pedestal stood before an open passageway that led to the massively wide concrete bridge outside. Even though there was supposed to be an active volcano just outside and no other windows, the area felt cool and as if a chilly wind was blowing.

Atop the pedestal, floating in a pillar of soft luminosity, was a rolled-up piece of parchment.

"That must be the scroll of All Skill..."

Kite wondered whether Blackrose was aware that she was stating the obvious.

Feeling most of his stamina return, he gingerly took the scroll from its place. For a moment he contemplated whether to open the paper and see its contents, but eventually decided against the notion, keeping the scroll safely away.

"Hey, aren't we going to see what it says?" the Heavy Blade asked.

Kite shook his head. "We were just supposed to retrieve it, not to pry." Once more, his analytical side was fully in charge.

"Good point. Whew...I'm still winded from running all the way up here. Let's just take a short rest, 'kay?" Blackrose said as she leaned on a part of the wall beside the aperture.

Kite nodded, and made his way to the near end of the bridge, beside Blackrose. As he neared, he could feel the gradually rising heat of the volcano outside; he had almost forgotten about that, given how cool it seemed inside.

"Who would've thought this event was so difficult?" He stated, staring towards the structure at the other side.

He noticed her shrug. "Maybe that's why nobody's been able to finish it yet. I mean, there's still the dungeon and all."

"In any case," Kite patted his knapsack, "just one more to go. Then we can head back to..."

"Aahh!" He was cut off by her scream. Blackrose practically leaped from her place, a shocked expression on her face. For half a second, Kite entertained the thought that she looked kind of cute like that, but then a loud thud made him quickly turn to face her source of alarm.

He too almost jumped in surprise.

One of the golems they had bypassed earlier stood before them. Its stone exterior was crumbling away, revealing a thin and flexible, yet utterly grotesque, form underneath with claws long enough to serve as functional scythe weapons. From Kite's assessment, this enemy was much quicker, more adept at combat, and much, much deadlier than before; he guessed that even he would have a hard time against it one-on-one.

Worse, several were already beginning to gather in the area. Judging from how many there were earlier, Kite's instincts told him only one thing...

"Run!" He shouted as he dashed outside. Blackrose sprinted alongside him, starting at the same time he did, if not a little earlier.

The monstrosities gave chase. Their appearance betrayed their actual abilities, though. Kite soon found his earlier speculations a little off as their pursuers ran only as fast as they did, only very slightly faster at most. Still, he didn't want to see whether they were as good in combat as he thought they were; one lucky miscalculation was enough.

"Kite! Heads up!"

The Heavy Blade's warning came in time, as Kite was just barely able to dodge something that flew right at his face. Overhead drifted several ravens and buzzards, which dived down in attack every so often. While not particularly dangerous, they were capable of delaying enough for the atrocities behind to catch up.

"Oh, this is...soooo...cliché!" Blackrose wailed in frustration, struggling to keep up. Kite was thankful that the bridge wasn't as long and winding as the spiral staircase; the fatigue that had supposedly faded a while ago was slowly returning.

_'Not much farther to go...just a little more...'_ Kite repeated over and over in his head, fighting not only exhaustion and the occasional flying pest, but also the sweltering heat. As they continued on the bridge, the temperature seemed to rise with each step. It was a stark contrast, and a rather sudden one at that, from where they had begun.

And then, in a moment of sheer clarity, Kite got a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Quickly, he cast Ap Do on Blackrose first, and then on himself.

"Hey thanks!" The spell worked to great effect; they were gaining a considerable lead. By now, only a fourth of the total distance was ahead of them. Strangely, though, it seemed only to get even hotter, even as they had already passed the volcano's center.

Looking ahead, Kite noticed that there was a drawbridge at the end, a solid steel block that stretched for more than ten meters along the length of the bridge as its continuation, and was chained to both sides of the heavy iron frame of the high stone wall ahead. It was a little hard to see at first, but it grew more visible as they neared.

"Kite!" He judged from her tone that she had seen it as well. "How are we going to get that thing up in time?" She shouted anxiously, with an underlying tone that bordered on panic, as if their only means of refuge seemed simply out of reach.

But Kite looked prepared even for this situation. "We don't pull it up! Stay near the edge! Charge up a powerful slash...we'll cut the chains as we run past!"

She blinked, looking first at him and then at the chains. "Are those even, uh, breakable?"

Kite looked again. The links were solid steel, rather large, and probably very durable. But he also saw something else. "Trust me! It's going to work!"

He could see that Blackrose was still incredulous, but she lifted her sword nonetheless. "All right...I trust you..." she said, almost a murmur, but Kite heard every syllable.

They were almost at the makeshift steel floor that was the iron door. Positioning at opposite corners, with Mimiru's Sword and both Two Together poised to strike, the Heavy Blade and the Twin Blade counted down at the same time.

"3...2...1..."

With full force, both struck out, and, just as Kite had predicted, the chains broke and gave way. The heavy iron began to fall from beneath their feet.

"Jump!" Kite ordered, more out of mere excitement than giving an actual command. He knew that Blackrose knew what to do.

They leaped as far forward as they could, and landed safely on the stone floor of the fortress.

A crumbling noise made them turn in time to see the entire bridge falling apart into the molten lava below, taking with it whatever creature still standing on it.

--------------------

"That turned out pretty well..." Kite mused, looking out at where the wide expanse of passageway used to be. It had been a few minutes after they had reached the other side, but they still sat on the very spots they had landed.

"I'll say..." his partner replied, "Though how did you know that cutting the chains of the drawbridge was going to work? All I could think of was trying to raise the darned thing."

Kite laughed. "Actually, it kind of reminded me of when I went treasure hunting one time with Rachel. It was in a magma dungeon, and we were being chased by dozens of monsters. There was also this drawbridge, just like now. The chains were rusted, so I knew they would break with enough force..." He beamed, pleased with his astuteness and glad that they were both safe.

"Oh..." her tone didn't sound impressed. If at all anything, she seemed a little dejected...or annoyed. "...that's nice." She stood up and began walking.

Kite started after her. "Hey, don't you want to rest some more first? I think we're pretty safe for the moment." A long corridor led the way to their next destination, and no enemies were in sight.

"I'm fine." She snapped, though not that blatantly, leaving Kite wondering again what the matter was. In any case, he followed after her without another word.

They didn't have to walk long; a large room was at the end of the corridor.

Kite looked around. To his left was a large door, bolted shut. To the right were iron cages that were bored into the wall, though all of them were empty.

Straight ahead was a huge stone statue that stood about fifteen feet tall, with still much room to spare above it. It looked like either an ancient siege machine, or a stone gorilla of sorts, or a rusted construction vehicle with giant front pillars to anchor it down.

He then looked up...and gasped.

At first, he had thought that a skylight was above, and that the sun was illuminating the room. Now looking more closely, it wasn't from outside that the light was streaming from, but from the inside...from the single, glowing sphere that hovered near the ceiling, at the very center of the room, the one he had mistaken for an overhead window. While the orb itself emitted only a faint radiance as he looked straight at it, the light was enough to make the entire area seem as if it were in the open air.

"Pretty..." Blackrose said in wonder.

"That's..." Kite began.

"...the Orb of Pure Light!" They both finished.

No sooner had they spoken, that the room began to tremble and shake.

"W-what's...g-g-going on!"

_'Wait...did I just see...that?'_ Kite thought he noticed the stone statue move. _'Or maybe it's just my...'_

As if to mock his presumption of imagination, the golem's eyes shone a bright red.

_'No...don't tell me that's...'_

It became clear that the cause of the short quake was the movement of the now very mobile Mekaniism. Taking another look, Kite noticed that it wasn't made of stone, but rather of steel...it was an automaton, a robot. It was apparently the guardian of the Orb of Pure Light.

"Aw that was so predictable!" Blackrose yelled, glaring fixedly at their newfound enemy.

_'Oh yeah...she's mad...'_ Kite was just a little afraid...of his partner. Her eyes showed only pure rage, and he was, for just this once, thankful that he wasn't the one she was frowning at.

Blackrose took a bottle of something from her inventory and downed it in one gulp. Kite soon recognized it to be some Warrior Blood. Not stopping for a second, she drank another, this time some Knight Blood.

"Don't just stand around there like an idiot, Kite!" She shouted, charging forward in full attack.

The Twin Blade was rather stunned, but even before he figured what he was doing, he had already cast Rig Saem, Rig Geam and Ap Do on Blackrose. The way things were already going, he figured he'd been relegated to position of caster, though he really didn't find that status very unpleasant; it was often employed, anyway.

The Heavy Blade fought with absolute recklessness, so much so that Kite had to keep up a steady stream of Ol Repths to keep her from fainting. While she didn't need healing, he experimented on elemental summons, finding, though rather not surprisingly, Lanceor to be the most effective. Mekaniism hit hard, but not all that fast. It took a long time to whittle down its hit points, however.

Soon enough, the familiar Data Drain indicator appeared.

"Hey; it can be Data Drained!" Kite exclaimed, a little surprised that it was possible.

"So what are you waiting for!"

Wasting no more time lest he infuriate his partner more, or lest she might end up as a ghost because of his idleness, Kite immediately raised his right arm.

At once, the invisible bracelet blazed to life and shot out a light that enveloped the guardian. As it faded, all that was left was a small pipsqueak that Blackrose promptly and very unceremoniously kicked out of the room, as well as an empty ornamental vase.

"Now what could this be...?" Kite asked, taking the item.

A knowing look passed over the Heavy Blade's face, but was gone before Kite could even notice. "Let's keep it. It's pretty, anyways."

The glimmering ball of light slowly descended from the ceiling until it was within reach. Kite carefully plucked it from the air, and set it with the other two quest items.

"That's it." He announced, as the nearby doors swung open almost automatically, leading the way out. "Let's get going back."

--------------------

The trip back was very uneventful, there being no monsters at all. Both of them were thankful, however; after all they had gone through in getting the gold ingot, the scroll of All Skill and the Orb of Pure Light, both felt very much in need of a break...at least before the dungeon.

"Here's a thought..." Kite said thoughtfully as they walked along the plains of the level field. "How long do you think it's been since even first setting out after we had talked with Locke?"

Blackrose replied tiredly. "Are you kidding? It felt like it's been a whole day! I'm really worn out..."

"Would you believe...only twenty minutes?"


	4. Harbor

A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for the extremely late update! Yea, even I think so... I had this chapter done almost 2 months ago, but didn't have the time to get it up on the 'net...busy and all. But it's here now...and...oh well.

**nobody** - I'm trying to keep them in-character, and I'm happy you think they are...though a little alteration might be unavoidable...I'll see what I can do.  
**BlueIrish** - 20 minutes...I also don't know what I was thinking back then, but that's how it came out. I'm glad you like the story.  
**Yuriel-Castries** - Thank you so very much! Oh, now I'm really embarrassed for updating so late...I'm not worthy of your praises... sob Thanks lots, really.  
**General Kimar** - Haha...thanks. There's still some action to come in later chapters; I hope they'll be as good as you thought this one was.

Hah...I don't want to make this a/n too long. Here's the next chap! Enjoy!

------------------------------

CHAPTER 4

Harbor

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"Seems like everything's in order," Locke stated after having received the three necessary items from the pair. "And you guys were really quick, might I say. The only other pair to complete the quest took, like, ages to arrive!"

"Well if you ask me, I thought we had also taken hours to do it," Blackrose said, shrugging. Apparently, she was still either skeptical about our feat, or was gloating indirectly. She managed to keep her hidden meanings...hidden...quite well, so much so that even Kite was puzzled at times. In this particular instance, however, he managed a knowing smile.

"Anyway," she continued, "let's get that gate open already! I'm really excited to see what's inside."

"One moment..." the sentry was busy weaving a string of data among the three quest items that Kite and Blackrose had recently retrieved, seemingly making as much a scene as he could of his rather dull task, "...there! And now, lady and gentleman...I give you," the tangled mass of data ribbon and quest items shrunk and then conformed into shape of a single small golden key, "the key to the Maharl dungeon!"

Kite approached the item and gingerly picked it from the ground. Looking up at the gray-steel gate before them, it took some time to notice the one keyhole between the engraved words of 'Sagreado' and 'Maharl'. At first, he had mistaken it for a nick in the metal, like many others strewn about.

Blackrose was busy having a one-sided argument with the sentry while Kite stood staring at the gate. "And you expect that one tiny key to open that humungous slab of steel?! What kind of fools do you take us for?!" Kite took that time to draw near and insert the said key into its supposed slot. No sooner had he done so that a loud rumbling echoed from the other side, and the gate slowly slid to one side, clearing the entrance to a stairway leading down into the earth.

Locke chuckled. "I wouldn't really call him a fool...nor you either for that matter," he continued even as Blackrose simply gazed at the shifting gateway, "though I'd do better not to take most things at face value. This is a virtual world, after all."

It was only after the gate had fully moved aside that Blackrose was able to speak. "Y-yeah...I guess..."

Kite was standing at the threshold as he spoke, looking very much deep in thought, "All those things that were needed to make the key...did they do anything by themselves?"

"And why do you ask that?" The sentry's expression grew just a bit less merry.

"Precious gold...scroll of All Skill...Orb of Pure Light. Wouldn't have only even one of those things have made anyone excessively richer or more skilled? The gold could have been sold. The scroll probably would have given abilities far more powerful than in any item. The orb might have done both. And yet all of these items had to be together to make that one key that served only the purpose of opening this one gate. I'm not angry or anything...the facts just made me wonder, that's all."

Locke first held his gaze with Kite, then turned to Blackrose, and then back to Kite. He shrugged. "You know, you're the first one to really raise that point. I'm not sure if I should start calling you a fool, or if you're just clueless about all of this..."

Kite now seemed a little irritated. "Then what is this all about?" He asked, still with a calm tone.

Again, Locke looked from Kite, to Blackrose, then to Kite again. "I can't answer you that, I'm sorry. You'll have to go on ahead and see for yourself," he gave a gesture of dismissal as Blackrose approached Kite. "Now go on; I've done all I can. The rest is totally up to the both of you. Good luck and Godspeed, then..." And with another wave, he was gone in the glow of golden rings.

It was a while before either even moved. Finally, Blackrose broke the lapse. "Well, let's get going, Kite. We've still got a ways to go down here," she stated as she began descending the stairs, glancing back at the Twin Blade. "...Kite?"

"Uh? Oh...yeah..." Kite was roused from what looked like deep thoughts, and his brow was knitted only very slightly. Still, he decided to keep silent for the moment; maybe these notions would go away as other necessities arose. He too then walked downwards, into the mouth of what looked like a more sinister darkness dungeon.

--------------------

The first level was lined with deep-red walls and ceiling that looked like the living bowels of a huge beast. The floor seemed stone enough, with occasional trails of steel strewn about.

Even though the motif was similar to that of other dungeons of its kind, the color was enough to make Blackrose a little queasy, if not more than a little grossed-out. Fortunately, upon the use of a fairy's orb item, no dungeon portals were present in the entire first level. The Heavy Blade let out a relieved sigh.

Strangely, though, Kite didn't even seem to notice the surroundings. His gaze was fixed downwards on the floor and his mind was somewhere even farther that that.

His detached behavior caught his partner's attention. As they walked in silence, she peered at him first without moving her head, through the corner of her eyes; then she tilted her head towards him slightly; and then bent at the trunk to look even closer; finally, she moved in front of him, walking backwards. In none of her attempts did he shift his gaze, or even blink, it seemed.

Infuriated, she shouted. "Kite! What the heck is wrong with you now?!"

The outburst was finally enough to rouse him from whatever thought was occupying his mind at the time. "H-w-wha?!" He let out a surprised sound that was loud enough to echo twice, even though acoustics didn't seem possible, given the features of the walls.

"You're walking around like a grief-stricken zombie, if that's even possible!" She spouted. And then, in a slightly less angry tone, she added, "If you've got a problem, you could tell me, you know...and we're pretty lucky there aren't any monsters right now."

Although startled at first, Kite soon regained his passive composure. He did begin talking, however. "Yeah, I know..." Whether he was referring to Blackrose's mention of lack of monsters or to her earlier comment about being able to tell her about his problems, he didn't make clear. "...it's just that I can't justify the need to use – to waste – such precious items to make such a transient one."

The Heavy Blade's voice was full of empathy as she spoke to him. "You're talking about those things we gave the sentry?" It was also laced with a hint of knowingness, which Kite utterly failed to catch.

Kite nodded. "The bullion of solid gold...The Scroll of All Skill...The Orb of Pure Light. If the enemies, the – creatures – that are in this dungeon are anything like those in the tower earlier, or even worse, then wouldn't it have been better to give us something useful to help us?"

"But then we wouldn't have been able to enter in the first place," she replied.

He took a moment to ponder on her very well-made point. "Then why the need for all three powerful objects of such rare value just for that purpose?"

A deafening silence enveloped them. Kite went back to mulling over his worries, and Blackrose was thinking of what to say to him next.

She finally decided on a statement. "C'mon. Maybe you're taking things too much at face value, like what the sentry said earlier."

"What else could a key be used for? Besides, it just vanished right after I put it in the slot, having served its only purpose, I'm sure."

"That may be true, but..."

"But why not have used them instead to help us in a more useful, a more permanent way?! Why not just give us even some of the power within them?!"

Another silence, though this one shorter yet more significant than the last.

"Kite, has power become all that important to you now?" Her tone was devoid of any emotion, so much that it almost frightened even her. Inside, she was sincerely wondering what had come over her friend; he didn't really seem himself.

He looked at her, and there was a mix of frustration and worry in his eyes. It wasn't difficult to tell he was fighting an internal battle within him. Two sides – part of him that stood for justice and what was right, and part of him that sought power and strength for the sake of that very same righteousness – were warring in his head. And for once, he was having a hard time deciding where to side.

Blackrose needed only one careful look to see what was wrong.

"So what you're saying is that maybe we could've benefited more if we had used probably one of those objects for what it primarily was? And that would have made us better off than we are now?"

Kite kept silent, only looking at the floor they were standing on.

"You were worried we might face even harder trials than the one at the tower, am I right? Well, I think we'll be able to carry on here just fine. Think, Kite. Do we really need even half the skills in that scroll? Or all the money we could've gotten from the gold bar? Or even whatever intense power from the Orb?"

He looked up slightly. "No..." Suddenly, one side was beginning to make more sense.

"That's right! And even if we did get those things, it wouldn't have made any difference since we couldn't even enter the dungeon in the first place!" Though her voice rose in pitch and volume, Kite could tell she wasn't getting angry; she was prodding him to break free from his melancholic thoughts; she could feel it working.

And he could as well.

"Yeah..." He said, a bit louder, already starting to feel his spirits lighten.

"And don't you remember who once said that quick thinking, vigilance, unity and determination were the most important factors in deciding the outcome of adversities; that even the greatest power alone will not ensure victory?"

Most of the uncertainty faded from his eyes at those words, his own words; a message he had sent to his online companions, when the threat of Magus and the Data Virus was once at its most ominous, when they had almost given up. It had been Kite who pulled through for them all...

...and now here he was, turning his back on his most fundamental principles, his deepest moral foundations.

For a while he was essentially alone again, in deep contemplation, as he continued walking and she followed. There was something different from his new silence, however. His face was no longer passive and despondent; rather, it was set in a determined stare.

Blackrose noticed, and smiled.

The dungeon minimap showed they were almost at the descent to the next floor. Kite had quickened his pace a little, which showed his growing excitement. The thrill of uncertainty in what seemed like a high-level, special-event, dungeon was beginning to occupy his mind once more; he was back to his old, reliable self.

Now standing at the top of the staircase that led into darkness, Kite took a deep breath. He then faced the Heavy Blade as he spoke, sounding more confident that ever since they had entered the place. "Thanks, Blackrose...for cheering me up back there. I guess something just got the better of me."

She tried to butt in, to tell him that no apologies were necessary, that she was only too happy to keep him out of misery, but he kept on talking.

"Haha...it was kinda out of place, huh? I mean, I don't really space out that often or give much attention to notions of power and getting stronger and all that much, right? I guess I sounded a lot like Natsume back there; she always talks about getting stronger and being of more help..." he was looking back at the way they had come with a somewhat wistful, if not solemn, expression on his face.

Blackrose made no attempt to talk, even when Kite had finished his pseudo-monologue. She just watched in a mix of mild frustration and slight dejection as he turned and began down the steps. She followed after him, her face and actions careful not to betray any inappropriate emotion.

Kite was already in high spirits at the second step; he looked back up at her with a big upward curve of his mouth. "So, you ready, partner?"

She managed a small, smug-like grin. "You kidding? Come on!"


	5. Act

**A/N:** Yeah...I'm updating quite sooner than usual. I guess it's a good thing, right? Haha...I've just been inspired as of late, not to mention rather creative too. Oh well...good news for anyone reading this, right?

Anyways, the story's coming to a close in about a chapter or two to go...but...ahem! Shout-outs!

**Rusty Knights Productions** - I'm glad this story made your day...that day. Thanks, and I will keep up the work.  
**Yuriel-Castries** - I guess this chap also ends in a cliffie...oops! Haha. Thanks for being a faithful reader, though the story's gonna see its end in about 2 more chapters. Good pacing? Oh the story...not the updating. Okay...

Thanks also to **SIMSteven** and **zzanmato** at GameFAQs for informing me on something about Terajima's dungeon.

Okay...here's the next one. Hopefully as enjoyable as the previous ones, so, uh, enjoy!

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CHAPTER 5

Act

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Immediately upon reaching the last step, Blackrose used a fairy's orb. The second level revealed a single, winding passageway littered with dozens, seemingly hundreds, of dungeon portals.

"Talk about extreme opposites..." she said sarcastically. Kite only laughed nervously and scratched his head in response.

Looking down the corridor ahead, twelve portals were already visible before the path veered to the left. The mere sight of so many imposing portals in such close proximity sent shivers down the Heavy Blade's spine and, at the back of her mind, she seriously considered going back upstairs.

"It'll be okay...let's just take this thing slowly, one by one if necessary. We're not under any time limit or anything, right?" Kite assured her, as if he had read her thoughts. He gave her a confident smile.

"N-no...I mean, yea...yeah! I know! Who said anything about backing out anyway...?" Blackrose huffed assertively, though her hands still trembled visibly. To this, Kite only shook his head and smiled even more widely.

He stepped forward and waited in anticipation as the nearest of the dungeon portals began to condense. Carefully unsheathing his Two Together, he came face to face with...

...a level one goblin.

Kite accidentally dropped one of his blades out of sheer surprise, but was able to catch it, before it hit the floor, and save face before Blackrose noticed.

"Hey, it's just a little runt!" She exclaimed, peering out from behind him where she had been hiding. Almost nonchalantly, she strolled up to the enemy and whacked it once with the broad surface of her weapon. This alone was enough to fell the unfortunate beast.

"Now that was too easy!" She whooped.

"Still, let's not be too hasty; the other portals could bring out stronger monsters..." Kite cautioned, gingerly stepping nearer the next portal.

But this second gateway produced only five more of the same weak monster, which were just as quickly dispatched as the first. The third...fourth...and fifth portals were no different, save from that more and more goblins appeared from each successive one.

The Heavy Blade's previous fear turned to confidence, and then to embarrassment for her earlier show of nervousness in front of her partner. She was only a little annoyed at the developments concerning weak monsters coming out of the portals; she was more so at herself for being afraid.

Kite looked obliquely at her. She was thinking of something, a mischievous grin spread across her face. He knew at once that he wouldn't like her idea.

"Uh, Blackrose, you aren't thinking..."

"Who said anything about thinking?" she replied in what seemed like an ominous tone to Kite.

_'Oh no...'_

Blackrose took only a second to sheathe her weapon and, with a gradually loudening cry, the Heavy Blade launched herself into a sprint through the sea of yellow ahead.

Quickly, after pulling his jaw shut, having shook his head a few times to confirm reality, and silently mouthing a muffled noise of frustration, Kite cast Ap Do on Blackrose and then on himself, not bothering to hide Two Together. He too then darted forward.

All around him, the brilliant glow of yellow flashed, dungeon portals beginning to open and pour forth whatever monstrosities they held...

...of course, Kite, and Blackrose as well for that matter, knew that the only monsters they would face were weak, level-one goblins.

_'The question is...'_ Kite mused, fighting a seeping sense of dread as he heard the rapidly-growing rumbling of goblins' feet on the pavement behind him, _'could we hold our own without being overwhelmed?'_

"Haha! We're running again, Kite!" The Twin Blade heard from somewhere in front as he rounded a corner.

_'Yeah, all thanks to your crazy antics!'_ He wanted to shout back, but then kept the thought to himself. "Don't be too reckless!" He yelled instead.

The running did continue, with Kite mostly trying to keep up with his companion. Still, that did not stop him from trying to lessen the number of goblins. In between a quick blast of Lanceor and another round of Ap Do, he weighed their situation. On one hand, the portals around them, though no less intimidating, seemed to be noticeably decreasing in number; on the other, the rumbling seemed ever-incessant behind, and getting even more threatening each second, despite his efforts so far.

For a sudden odd moment, he felt as if he were the one being chased by goblins in a game of tag, instead of the usual other way around.

And then he found out, almost true to Blackrose's earlier comment, that maybe thinking wouldn't exactly be included in the plan this time, as they had reached a closed gate; the stairs leading to the lower level were taunting them from the other side. The last of the portals were already fading, the oppressive yellow steadily, thankfully, dying down. The Heavy Blade was leaning on the gate, panting slightly, Mimiru's Sword drawn and ready.

The whole corridor was crowded with goblins, some even climbing over others in a blind attempt to get ahead. If he hadn't known they were in fact feebler than their appearance suggested, Kite would have been very much afraid.

The Twin Blade took an attack stance beside her. "You know how troublesome I really think this is?" He was half-smiling, though hiding it from his partner.

"It would've been better if we had a Wavemaster here and more area-of-effect spells other than your Lanceor or whatever summon, huh?" She replied nonchalantly. "Oh well. Don't worry, we'll improvise."

He rolled his eyes. _'She's acting rather...optimistic...today,'_ he thought as he slipped on his Lucky Shoes and cast Rig Saem and Rig Geam.

--------------------

It was half an hour of pure hack-and-slash that left Kite's pulse pounding in his ears minutes since it had ended, though, of course, there were spells cast during the fray, mostly Ap Do, Rig Saem, Rig Geam, Lanceor and, when Kite bothered to occasionally swap Two Together for Fishskin, Merrows. Pressing matters prevented him from ironically donning all goblin equipment and casting 'Summon Goblin', though the idea screamed in his head.

But afterwards, the hall became as barren as it had once been. Not a single goblin remained and, fortunately, since the enemies' bodies disappeared soon after being defeated, no corpses littered the floor either.

A left-over puddle of water from the last Merrows summon formed near Kite's feet. Looking into it, he noticed his disheveled hair was a little messier than usual, though he really didn't feel too exhausted. He took no more than a few seconds to get himself in order, and then he turned to his partner...only to find nobody beside him.

_'Where...?' _

"Hey slowpoke! Come on, we're not too far from the end now I'll bet!" She was already bounding down the steps, the gate wide open. Strangely, Kite didn't notice it being unbolted at all.

He ran after her, a bit of worry seeping into him. "Blackrose! Don't wander too quickly! We don't know what's down there!" But his warnings fell on deaf ears as the Heavy Blade continued on.

_'Isn't she tired of running at least?'_ He wondered, quickening his pace to catch up.

The staircase was a rather long and winding one; what had begun as a broad, straight passage soon narrowed and spiraled, resembling that of a crypt or a tower of sorts. Images of a previous experience with a certain tower flashed through Kite's mind, and he involuntarily shuddered, the feeling of uneasiness escalating a notch.

_'Something's wrong,'_ he told himself. His thoughts immediately went to the Heavy Blade running in front of him. _'She shouldn't rush ahead by herself...' _Normally, his partner going off on her own didn't bother him as much, but this time was different.

The long corridor at the bottom of the stairs looked innocent enough. Blackrose had already used a Fairy Orb, and Kite was at least a little relieved to see no dungeon portals. He felt he had had enough of those for one day, even if they did contain monsters other than goblins.

The only noticeable feature of the floor was what lay in the only room at the far end – a Gott statue and its treasure.

Blackrose had only stopped for a while; soon she was scurrying ahead again, with an extra spring in her step this time. "Come on Kite! The treasure's just down there! I can almost smell it!"

_'Smell it?' _The expression struck Kite as singular, though for all he knew, it could have been just that – an expression. As he began moving forward, a queer smile etched on his face as he imagined things that might give off some kind of remarkable scent – flowers, perfume, food, fresh paint, smoke, and even biologic waste material! He abruptly shook his head upon reaching that thought. _'What the heck am I thinking!?'_ Something at the back of his mind told him that he should be worrying instead.

Although thankful that nothing was pursuing them this time, Kite was getting fed up with running. Peering into the darkness beyond, he could barely make out the Heavy Blade's form a few dozen steps in front of him.

_'Wait...how come this corridor seems to be getting darker all of a sudden...?' _

He concluded it wasn't his imagination a few more steps later. The torches on both sides of the passageway gave off less and less light the further they went, until there was just enough to distinguish faint outlines; the only ones Kite saw now were those of his own hands, of his partner just ahead, and of the door some distance away. The room ahead was shrouded in black.

Feeling a little thirsty, though not stopping his feet from moving, he pulled a flask from his pouch and downed it hurriedly. A slightly sour taste made him jerk his head up and examine the item more closely. This wasn't a Health Drink...

_'Hermit's Blood. Darn, it's too dark to see! Oh well...'_ he thought, shrugging, and drank the rest of the liquid anyway, increasing his magical attack power as well.

"Hey Blackrose!" Kite called out, still running. Almost absently, he took out a Burning Oil item from his pack, using it as a source of light before he had to eventually use it up and increase his fire attribute. The oil glowed brightly, relieving his eyes of having to strain so hard to see.

Silently, he wished there was an item he could presently use that wasn't so transient...or so hot. Only several seconds was all the light it gave before burning out and singeing his fingers. Quickly, he procured some Pure Water to relieve the sting, strengthening his water attribute in the process.

"Quit dawdling, Kite!" At her statement, he felt a little ridiculous fooling around with his items. It was then that he noticed she had already crossed the door's outline, and into the Gott statue room.

"We're...OOF!" Her exclamation was abruptly cut off as she suddenly bumped into something hard and fell to the floor.

"What the...AHHH!" Bright light blared intensely from the inside of the room without warning. The Heavy Blade shut her eyes tight, having been used to the pitch-blackness that dominated until not two seconds ago. Kite, having had a semi-constant fire a bit earlier to aid his seeing, only had to blink thrice to adjust his vision...

...before a feeling of déjà vu washed over him. Standing noiselessly right in front of his stunned partner was a giant, translucent, cyan-colored golem; its body reflected the light and added further blinding luminescence to the area, a myriad of colors bursting in all directions. The humanoid-shaped monstrosity's head was a small, solid oblong, dwarfed by its immense body; a small glowing red orb embedded inside its head, moving in different directions, indicated what might have been its eye. It wielded twin battle axes in its hands...

Kite figured he had no more time for observation as one of those battle axes was raised carefully, silently upward by their now-hostile adversary. Blackrose was still sitting on the floor, rubbing her eyes and cursing liberally. She still didn't seem to notice the being in front of her, about to inflict on her the worst status of all – death.

"Watch out!" Kite yelled. Reaching his partner, he pushed her to one side and leapt to the other. She let out a yelp of surprise as the impact of the heavy crystal axe sent tremors through the ground behind her, pulverizing the stone floor.

Pushed forward by the impact, and still blinded by the glare, Blackrose tumbled gracelessly, her string of uncouth phrases mercifully coming to an end as she yelled, "Kite, what's going on!?"

The golem wasted no time; deftly maneuvering, it began to swing the other axe in a horizontal arc towards the Heavy Blade.

"No!" Kite only had time enough to throw himself in front of the weapon's path, not really thinking out any strategy. The force of the blow was enough to launch him five feet into the air and into the stone wall beside his partner, but he was able to alter the trajectory of the slice using his blades, and it missed both of them completely.

Winded, the Twin Blade groggily shook his head and looked up. Blackrose was squinting now, her eyes more adjusted to the light, and they both became aware of the first axe once again poised above their heads in another vertical chop.

Blackrose could only scream, startled as she was about their enemy and current situation.

Kite, fortunately, had more presence of mind. Right before the weapon came crashing down, he immediately called forth a summon spell. His mind shouted 'Lanceor', but his mouth uttered differently. "Merrows!" Even he was surprised. Looking, he found himself holding Fishskin instead of Two Together.

The water summon instantly materialized in front of him, and sent a high-powered torrent upon their enemy. Kite's astonishment doubled as the golem was hurtled to the opposite wall as if it were a piece of paper blown by the wind, and tripled when the words 'Elemental Critical' appeared not too far above.

One shot. That was all it took for the Data Drain indicator to appear around the massive torso sprawled on the ground. As if on instinct, Kite lifted his right arm. The bracelet flared to life, and sent waves of data streaming forward.

After it had been done, a small critter was left cringing where the golem used to be. It then ran quickly outside the room and into a hole in the corridor wall. Also on the floor was a huge puddle of water.

"I think it was an ice golem," Kite stated flatly. Inwardly, he thanked whatever powers there were that he had been careless enough to make mistakes with his items a little earlier, having realized that his magical abilities were still boosted up.

His partner was already on her feet, though her knees were a little wobbly. "Ice? But it wasn't cold at all when I bumped into it..."

"Thrown in for deception, I guess," Kite mused, shrugging. "Maybe so that the players wouldn't think of using water until it was too late." He recalled meaning to use Lanceor instead of his other summon. "That thing was blinding fast for its size."

It was only then he noticed he was clutching something in his left fist, small enough to fit inside. He opened his hand, revealing a small, red orb.

_'Its eye...?'_ He pondered. _'Probably the item from Data Drain...'_ He dropped it into his pouch, before even the thought of showing it to Blackrose entered his mind, and promptly forgot about it there, another thought taking its place. Kite then began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" There was a tone of annoyance in her words; but if Kite had looked at her, the tint of red on her face would have suggested it to be something else altogether. He opted instead to glance at the far end of the room, towards the coveted Gott statue they had worked so hard to reach.

"It's not something really funny; though I remember this one time just recently when I went with Terajima Ryoko to look for an item she wanted. The place was filled with a lot of data bugs, and it was all we could do to reach the last floor. There was also this monster guarding the treasure, and I ended up saving her in much the same way I did just now. Cool, huh?" His eyes shone as he spoke; gleamed with a look of amusement, though one that could easily be mistaken for fascination or affection.

The hint of a smile playing on her lips suddenly shriveled into a scowl as Blackrose caught a glimpse of his expression; she turned quickly away and pretended not to see it; it was causing too much discomfort on her part. She sighed lightly. "Come on," she replied softly.

They both crossed the length of the room, towards the Gott statue and its treasure.

_'This is only a statue, right...?'_ Kite wondered to himself. There were too many of the creatures coming to life as of late, he couldn't shake the feeling that this one might run amok on them as well. Fortunately, it did not.

It was the Heavy Blade who stepped forward. Gingerly, as if it would break upon touch, she lifted the lid of the chest open.


	6. Confess

**A/N:** Another (earlier) update! Whee! This chapter is mostly dialogue and whatnot. Anyways, I'll probably get the whole fic up by Christmas (consider it a Christmas gift, I guess); this is the second to the last chapter, fortunately or unfortunately... 

**jedimasteryugi2** - Thanks for liking the story, and bothering enough to drop a review.  
**Yuriel-Castries** - Well, here's the next chap, rather early by the way I usually post my stories...haha. All stories have an ending, whether they come early or not...I just hope I don't disappoint... And many, many thanks again!

Well, that's done. On with it now...enjoy!

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CHAPTER 6

Confess

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Kite peered, a curious look on his face. "What's that?"

There was only one item inside the chest instead of the usual three, and Blackrose gently extricated it from its confinement after a few moments of scrutiny.

In her hands was a strikingly lovely blossom. Kite traveled his gaze from the ordinary-looking stem, adorned intermittently with thorns which Blackrose's hands carefully avoided, to the flower itself.

It was a rose.

A rose with midnight-colored petals defined with faint luminous-white outlines, looking very newly-bloomed.

A black rose.

He continued looking upwards until his eyes came to rest on hers; confusion was now written all over his face as he stared, wide-eyed, at the only other person with him.

His mind whirled. He felt more than just a touch of disappointment as he compared the difficulty, the complexity of the tasks they had to go through, with this, their supposed reward. From the start, he expected something that would considerably aid their cause. Inwardly, he wondered what purpose the item could serve; maybe it could be traded for some other, more useful stuff, or sold for a high price at a shop. Still, a part of him reasoned that there was a rational explanation for the whole thing. He looked to his partner now for that explanation; she did seem to know...

Blackrose caught his perplexed look and sighed. "Okay Kite, I'll come clean now..." Her eyes never left his for a moment, even though the urge to turn away was overwhelming; her voice was trembling as she spoke.

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_Flashback:_

The busy MacAnu streets were even more packed with adventurers milling about. There had been a recent announcement concerning an event to be held by CCCorp, and many were on the hunt for whatever information was strewn among the NPC's and other players. One of those scavenging was Blackrose.

At first, the event was only background noise, another distraction to the more important issues that had to be dealt with. At the top of the list was finding new leads about irregularities and data bugs in The World; even though the job had been assigned to Wiseman and Balmung, the Heavy Blade was restless enough to do a little sleuthing herself.

So far, the morning hunt proved to be fruitless. There just seemed to be no peculiar incidents as of late, save this particular event everyone kept talking about. Conversations were rampant, yet very hush-hush at the same time, as if nobody wanted anybody else to know what they knew about the topic. Posts made on the message boards were usually quickly dismissed as rumors, though were secretly investigated, or re-investigated, all the same.

Deciding that there wasn't anything better to do, and probably to dispel some of the frustration of not finding any useful piece of information about data bug infestations as well, Blackrose moved all the background noise to the foreground.

It was something of The World she hadn't really experienced before, taking part in a quest totally askew from her own reason for even playing the online game in the first place. Of course there were times when Kite or some of their other friends tagged her along in search of rare items and weapons, but never like this – and her mind always lingered on her true objective; she didn't really let herself get too caught up in the 'game'. There was always something urgent, something to do or keep her preoccupied.

But now was different; she let herself get caught up in the ebb and flow of things, specifically in the event.

Of course there would be a field and dungeon involved; what would be the accomplishment of obtaining a rare item if it wasn't guarded by hordes of monsters and traps?

It was the beginning of February, so it came as no real surprise that the event would involve romantic notions or undertones, at the very least – only two players, partners, would be allowed to participate at a time, and a certain degree of cooperation and care would be needed since no reviving items are allowed. Credit Lios for being a little unimaginative about the rules – the guy had as much "amore" in him as Piros had common sense. At least, in Blackrose's mind, it could be a sort of "proving ground" for those partners...

The most striking, however, of all were the rumors of what the rare item was. There were those who claimed it was another excessively-powerful weapon for this or that character class, or an exceptionally defensive piece of armor; but the most predominant conjecture was that it was only an item, with no significant use whatsoever apart from giving the bearer bragging rights. This alone cut the amount of interested parties to less than a fourth, but Blackrose wasn't deterred. Research soon identified the item – a flower.

Even more players then decided that the event wasn't worth spending time on. But Blackrose was even more interested and determined since along with the item's identity came its description – a beautiful rose with midnight-black petals and silver linings. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Lios was playing a sort of trick on them; it wasn't like he didn't know about Kite, or about her...but she pushed the thought aside, concluding it was just coincidence that the item was indeed a black rose, if the news was indeed true.

She wanted to be sure; she needed to go to that dungeon; she decided she had to have that item.

There were many other players, mostly males, who had asked to accompany her on the event, especially when they found her name out, but she dismissed all of them, usually with threats and angry brandishes of her sword. The only person she could think of to accompany her was, of course, her "partner" Kite.

As of late, she found herself thinking how immensely helpful he had been in...everything. With their investigation on the data bugs going rather cold, she had had time to ponder things out. Kite was perhaps the only other one as concerned as she was in finding out about the incidents that left the real-life players of The World in a comatose state. He was always careful yet quick in making decisions, as well as very influential whether he noticed it or not, marking him a good leader. He cared genuinely about his teammates, sometimes risking even his own welfare for theirs. He was honorable, kind, considerate, almost always smiling, not to mention mature, in a way, and attractive as well...

It was then she felt her ears and cheeks growing hot. She didn't need to look in a mirror or a pool of water to know they were also a deep shade of red.

This was ridiculous! She didn't even know the guy, if he even was really a guy, personally, and she's getting all giddy just thinking about him...or his character, which probably doesn't even look a single thing like him!

But then another part of her spoke out. Did it really matter how he looked? She was almost absolutely sure that the real life Kite was a guy, so there was no problem there. And she was definitely certain that his thoughts and actions were sincere; he really did care for the team, for their cause; he really did care about her...or at least she hoped he did...

Blackrose now believed those stories she had read before about finding love online; it definitely was possible to do so. All there was to do now was to make sure; and find a way to get Kite to go with her on something that seemed so superfluous, yet so important at the same time.

--------------------

"...and there you have it..." She finished her narrative uncertainly, anxious of what his reaction might be. "I feel a little guilty doing something that doesn't at all help my little brother. It's silly..."

Kite was looking at her in even more bewilderment. "You mean, all that trouble...you didn't even tell me anything about this earlier."

"It's just that..." She was on the verge of crying. "I was just scared...that you might...I mean, we're not out looking for data bugs like Balmung or the others; I guess we're just fooling around, actually, and I feel really bad I dragged you into this mess..."

Kite blinked. _'What mess? It's not like we're in any trouble or anything...we even completed the event! She should be happy! I just wish she had told me from the beginning!'_

His voice was level when he answered. "It's not that I think we're wasting time on these events, though I admit I haven't been paying any attention to them at all recently. I just wish you'd told me from the beginning instead of leading me around in the dark."

She didn't seem to be listening to him as she babbled on, tears flowing freely down her flushed cheeks. "Yeah, I'm terrible, aren't I? All I've been doing was pushing you around like some kind of puppet when you have a lot of responsibilities to do. Aura gave you the bracelet 'coz she trusted you to get the job done...while I can't even...can't even...here! I'm sorry, Kite!" She thrust the blossom at him and ran outside. The last thing Kite saw were the golden rings left behind as she teleported out.

He was stunned. That was a side of her he hadn't seen before. She was so...vulnerable, so afraid; it reminded him of their first meeting at the chapel at Delta: Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground. But even then, she was still adamant and rather proud. Now, she looked simply...fragile, as if she would break at any moment.

He looked at the flower in his hands; it was certainly exceptionally beautiful, and looked as fragile as his partner had just been.

"She was afraid I might hate her, that I might reject her," he told the inanimate object. Sitting in the dark confines of the room, he let his thoughts drift from one thing to another. He would need some time to organize all his thoughts...

...but at least now he was certain of one thing; without a shadow of a doubt. All there was to do now was to wait...until she was ready...


	7. Keep

**A/N:** Well, this is a rather delayed update. It's the last chapter too, BTW...oh well.

**jedimasteryugi2** - Thanks again for liking the story, and for the review. I didn't dare copy/paste my response. :-)  
**Unknown **- Uh...I really don't know the movie. Anyways, thanks for the review. And it was on my birthday as well! Awww...another thanks!

Well, that's that. Without further ado...enjoy.

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CHAPTER 7

Keep

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'Come to Carnima Gadleica tonigt...please.'

Blackrose wandered the Cultural City, wondering whether she should be doing this or not. Kite's enigmatic message was short, yet carried enough urgency to move her to action, whether her mind was made up or not. _'Besides, he messes up his e-mails when he's flustered about something...or in a hurry. He must've sent the message without even checking his spelling.'_

It was a week since they had finished the CCCorp event. No congratulatory ceremonies were held for having beaten the event dungeon. Instead, all the other players, especially the others who had tried their luck and skills in the dungeon and failed, had to make do with a forum post. Some complained, saying there should be a party or celebration or such, but they were obstinately ignored by Lios.

_'All well and good, I say...besides,'_ the Heavy Blade thought to herself, _'I wouldn't have been there to enjoy it, if ever...'_

She had abstained from entering The World since that time she and Kite had finished the event. Kite had seemed pretty upset at the time, or so she thought. His face had a worried frown when she last noticed, and his last words to her were rather stern.

She couldn't help it anymore then; she lost control of herself and broke down. She now hated herself for being such a wimp, for giving in to her emotions. She was even more frustrated for having run from the situation, having run from Kite like a child throwing a tantrum would have done.

_'He seemed pissed off,'_ she reasoned to herself, _'I was afraid he might have yelled at me or something like that...but I don't think he deserved the reaction I gave him...'_

But what really bothered her was that she had let herself get so engrossed, so involved in such a worthless venture; something that didn't even help the least bit in their plight against Magus or Skeith or whoever else was there causing all the trouble. She was most upset that she let herself wallow in foolishness while her brother still lay in a coma. It bothered her so much she couldn't sleep, or even think, properly these past few days. She had first thought that Kite's email concerned the data bug investigation, which is why she hastily responded; now remembering certain recent events, her initial hurry faded and uncertainty crept in. In the end, she decided to go through with it.

_'But where could he be?' _

Having walked across the entire city, she decided to go off on her own; she'd find him sooner or later, or he'd find her. She made her way to the back of the items store, and gingerly began climbing the assortment of boxes she knew would be stacked there, until she reached the building's roof. She walked to where the roof sharply slanted upwards, and sat, leaning on the side of the elevation. The city lights were subdued at this height, which made the stars that much more prominent than when viewed from the streets.

It was a spot Kite had shown her back when the server was only recently made accessible to players; he said that he usually went up there to think, and to watch the skies, like they did that first time she went. Soon, it also became her secret space, and she spent most of her time just sitting there when there wasn't anything better to do.

Her anxiety soon turned into fascination as her senses once more took in the intricacies of the virtual world. The eternally black sky shone with millions of softly glowing stars, and a cool, comfortable breeze wafted through her hair, sending it trailing behind her refreshingly.

She stayed there with her eyes closed just enjoying the seemingly real feelings caused by virtual stimuli, when she felt a presence approach and sit beside her. Even then, she didn't need to open her eyes to see who it was.

"Hey..." his voice trailed off, as if whatever he was about to say died with the passing zephyr.

She then enabled sight once more, and glanced in his direction. Her face was inert, without her even trying; she found him staring off into the vastness of the starry heavens, his own expression glazed, if a little pensive. "I kinda knew you'd be here; I should've checked here first..."

Her mind raced despite her static exterior. _'What could he be thinking? Is he pissed off about me just leaving without word and disappearing for a week? I'm pretty sure he's been kinda worried...'_ She wasn't aware of it, but her face had gone a few shades redder.

As if he could read her thoughts, Kite spoke. "You know, you worried me a bit back then..."

She almost jumped at his apparent show of mental telepathy. "W-well...I..."

But Kite didn't let her finish. Now he was looking at her with compassion in his eyes. "I was thinking of giving you more time, but Wiseman mailed me two days ago, announcing a breakthrough in their investigation. I couldn't dare face all those challenges and dangers without my partner at my side, now could I?" He chuckled, though not ruining the moment.

Blackrose's face went from uncertainty, to shock as he talked, and then to depression afterwards. She was filled with self-remorse once more; tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "I...haven't been online the whole week. Heck, I'm slowing us all down again and..."

He cut her off again, this time placing his hands on her shoulders. His voice was even more soothing that before. "Don't think that, please. You know that's not true." He gently rubbed her shoulders until she calmed down enough to keep from crying.

"I'm...sorry. I-I don't know why I'm acting so..." The urge to get up and run was overwhelming, but she fought to keep herself from doing so.

"It's all right," Kite said softly, with a smile just as pleasant. He then reached behind him and procured the Midnight Rose, which was placed inside the black vase they had obtained from the Data-Drained Mekaniism. His partner's breath caught in her throat in an expression that he hoped had been both surprise and rapture. "By any chance, did you know this vase was made especially for the rose?" he asked as he set both items in between them.

She only nodded, stroking one of the luminescent petals.

"It mirrors the sky above us," He observed, looking from the flower to the night. Her gaze followed his, and she nodded again.

They sat in silence for some time; Kite then brought out something else from one of his pockets. Reaching around her, he fastened what looked like a string around her neck.

Taken aback, she looked down and took hold of a beautiful red orb, which hung from a delicate chain of golden links. "Kite...! What...?" Still she couldn't bring herself to pronounce proper sentences.

"Bet you didn't know about that one, huh?" He smiled broadly.

The meager illumination the sky diamonds shed on the rooftop was caught and magnified by the gemstone, and it emitted a soft, reddish glow.

Finally, Blackrose snapped out of her aphasia. "Kite...it's beautiful! Where did you...I mean, how did you get this?"

"Let's just say that ice golem left it behind as apology for trying to smash us," he replied good-naturedly, and she found herself laughing at his comment.

"That's much better," Kite said, "I was wondering when you'd finally laugh."

A blush crept up her face, and she stopped laughing. "These are really lovely, Kite, but...why'd you give them all to me? I mean, you were talking about all the other girls back then...Mistral, Gardenia, Rachel, Natsume, and Terajima, and even Aura..."

It was Kite's turn to look surprised. "I did?" He was scratching the side of his face. "I suppose they pop into my mind one time or another, when I'm reminded of something about them; but even I have to say it's nothing special..."

"Oh...that so?" Her tone carried a bit of relief, though she tried to keep it hidden. "But the orb doesn't really remind you of me..." she stopped short, realizing she had been voicing out her thoughts, and winced at her idiocy.

Kite was silent for a long moment, as if unsure of what to do next. "Actually," he said at last, slowly, "I don't need any reminder...I'm always thinking about you, Blackrose."

She blushed even harder, clutching the orb tighter in her hand. Tears of a different kind began to form in her eyes. _'Did I just hear that right? This...this isn't a dream...is it?' _

He continued. "You're my partner; you've always been right by my side since the beginning. Though the others are of immense help, you're the one who always comes along even when things get really difficult. This is our fight; our mission. I began this journey with you, and, if you don't mind, Blackrose, I'd like to continue on with you even after we've brought Yasuhiko, and your brother, and all the others back..."

"Oh Kite..." Blackrose was crying freely now, but it was another emotion, not sadness, that filled her. She leaned into him, burying her face into his chest. Slowly, comfortingly, he wrapped his arms around her as he felt her do the same. They were both at peace.

--------------------

She spoke into him after some time. "Kite, do you believe it was destiny that we met, that our circumstances would bring us together, that we were able to finish that dungeon together, and that the prize was a black rose?"

"I think that circumstances happen as they do; and we are the ones who give meaning to them. In a way, we shape out our destinies; we seek our destinies...or at least that's what I think..."

"Mmhmm..." she murmured, lazing in her comfortable position. Her steady breathing soon showed she was asleep. _'At her desktop?'_ Kite wondered, suppressing a chuckle that might awaken her. Not long after, he found himself beginning to nod off as well.

The Midnight Rose seemed to glimmer even more as he glanced at it. Looking up, he marveled once more at the night sky. As he tenderly moved his gaze at the form cradled in his arms, he knew that neither compared with her.

_'Oh well...sleep tight, partner; my Blackrose...'_ were his last thoughts before he too fell asleep in the embrace.

---------------

Date finished: December 12, 2006 (1:46 AM)

**Final A/N:** And there you have it. Hah! I was supposed to have uploaded this last chap ages ago, but...eh. This is the first multi-chap fic I've finished (YAY!), and it's a milestone for me, I guess. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.

Many, many thanks to all those who read and reviewed as well as to all those who read and didn't review! Thanks for all the feedback and appreciation!

I really hope you guys enjoyed this fic. There may be another dothack fic in the works, but even I am not sure...we'll see. Oh, and there's something hidden somewhere in the whole fic; just a quirk I thought up. Clue: at the beginning of each chapter. (That kinda gives it away already, haha...)

Ciao until next time!


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